Universidade Católica de Moçambique

Instituto de Educação à Distância

Topic: Adjectives and Adverbs

Name: Ganito Saboroso Nhenje

Student Code: 708235168

Course: Portuguese Language

Teaching Course
Subject: English Language
Year of Frequency: 1º
Class: I

Gorongosa, September 2023

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Universidade Católica de Moçambique
Instituto de Educação à Distância

Topic: Adjectives and Adverbs

Name: Ganito Saboroso Nhenje

Student Code: 708235168

Trabalho de campo a ser Submetido na

Coordenação do Curso de Licenciatura em
Ensino da Língua Portuguesa da UCM.

Tutor: Felismino Daglasse

Gorongosa, September 2023

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 Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1

Section I: Adjectives ...................................................................................................................... 2

Uses of Adjectives ...................................................................................................................... 2

Degrees of Adjectives................................................................................................................. 3

Classification of adjectives ........................................................................................................ 4

Descriptive ............................................................................................................................... 5

Quantitative ............................................................................................................................. 5

Demonstrative.......................................................................................................................... 5

Possessive ................................................................................................................................ 5

Interrogative ............................................................................................................................ 6

Distributive .............................................................................................................................. 6

Forming Adjectives from Nouns .............................................................................................. 6

Section II: Adverbs ........................................................................................................................ 8

Types of adverbs ........................................................................................................................ 8

Adverbs of Time ....................................................................................................................... 8

Adverbs of Manner .................................................................................................................. 8

Adverbs of Place ...................................................................................................................... 9

Adverbs of Degree ................................................................................................................... 9

Adverbs of Frequency .............................................................................................................. 9

Interrogative Adverbs .............................................................................................................. 9

Conjunctive Adverbs ................................................................................................................ 9

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 10

References..................................................................................................................................... 11

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Introduction

The contributions in the present field work deal with a variety of issues in the analysis of the
syntax and semantics of adjectives and adverbs. Compared to the lexical categories of nouns and
verbs, adjectives have received attention in the linguistic literature. In the present introduction I
will give an overview of some of the central issues in the study of adjectives and adverbs, I put
the issues addressed by the papers in this into this wider context.

The first section reviews the criteria that have been proposed to distinguish adjectives as a word
class and discusses some cross-linguistic variation observed with respect these criteria.

The second section sketches some issues in the semantics of adverbs. The third section gives a
summary of the main issues in the syntax of adjective and adverbs.

The aim of this field work is to learn about adjectives and adverbs.

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Section I: Adjectives
An adjective is a word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives can be used to
describe the qualities of someone or something independently or in comparison to something
else. They can be attributive (occurring before the noun) or predicative (occurring after the noun).
Predicative adjectives typically follow a linking verb (such as forms of the verb “to be”) that
connects the subject of the sentence to the adjective.

Examples:

1. I am an intelligent boy

2. The teacher is proud.

Uses of Adjectives

Depending on the language, an adjective can precede a corresponding noun on a prepositive

basis. A corresponding noun also follows the postpositive basis. In the English language, the uses
of adjectives generally can be classified into three categories:

Prepositive adjectives– They occur before they exist within a noun phrase. They also go by the
term “attributive adjectives”.

For example: Dad put his happy kids in the car.

Postpositive adjectives- They can occur right after they come next to a noun within a noun
phrase.

For example, Dad took a short drive around with his happy kids.

Nominalized adjectives– They are usually functional as nouns. When one person deletes a noun
from an adjective-noun noun phrase will result in the adjective working as a noun.

For example: Mom read two books to them, she preferred the sad book, but he preferred the
happy.

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Degrees of Adjectives

There are three degrees of adjectives include positive, comparative and superlative—the degrees
of comparison work for only descriptive adjectives. Adjectives are employed or reused to
characterize, quantify, change, or identify nouns/pronouns. Degrees of adjectives or degrees of
comparison that compare one thing/person to another exist for adjectives.

Positive adjectives– They are used to just describe a person or thing. The comparison does not
take place as it is a normal adjective degree. Or, in another way, positive adjectives are words
that are used to describe something in a positive light. These words can emphasize how good a
certain something is. Rather than simply expressing a bland meaning, a positive adjective can
bring a more detailed and dramatic meaning to something.

Examples:

1. Ganito is affable person who makes friends easily.

2. Elda is an ambitious young woman who wants to become an university teacher.

Comparative adjective– When there is a comparison done between two things, it is a comparative
adjective. Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things. They’re usually formed by
adding the suffix “-er” (or “-r” if the word ends in the letter “e”). For two-syllable words that end
in “y,” the “y” is replaced with “-ier.”Comparative adjectives can also be formed by adding
“more” or “less” before an adjective that has not been modified. The “more” form is typically
used for words with two or more syllables, while the “less” form is used for all adjectives.

Examples:

1. Isac’s essay is longer than Bero’s.

2. I have never met a more honorable person.

Superlative adjective– The adjective that is used to make a comparison between three or more
things is a superlative adjective. They are also used to state something that is the most. It is often
necessary not only to name objects but also to mention some accompanying characteristic o r
descriptive detail that w il serve more nearly to indicate the object. Thus we may say He bought
an apple; but we may wish also to say more about the apple, and so may add further details.
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Examples:

1. UCM is the highest university in Mozambique

2. It was the happiest day of my life

3. That is the best film I have seen this year.

Superlative adjectives are used to indicate that something has the most or least of a specific
quality. They’re typically preceded by the definite article “the” and usually formed by adding the
suffix “-est” (or “-st” if the word ends in the letter “e”). For two-syllable words that end in “y,”
the “y” is replaced with “-iest.” Superlative adjectives can also be formed by adding “most” or
“least” before an adjective that has not been modified. The “most” form is typically used for
words with two or more syllables, while the “least” form is used for all adjectives.

Examples:

1. Even the greatest athletes need adequate rest.

2. Nicha is the most charming person at the party, but her partner is the least charming.

Absolute adjectives

An absolute adjective is an adjective describing an absolute state that cannot be compared. For
example, the word “dead” is often considered to be an absolute adjective because it’s not possible
to be “deader” than someone else. However, actual usage varies, and absolute adjectives are often
modified by words such as “almost.”

Examples:

1. This is the perfect example for this question

2. UCM is the unique university in Gorongosa Town.

Classification of adjectives

Adjectives can be classified into 7 categories: descriptive, quantitative, demonstrative,

possessive, interrogative, distributive, and articles.

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Descriptive
When a person hears the word “adjective”, the first thing that will cross their mind is a
descriptive adjective. They are used to describe nouns and pronouns. Adjectives like nice,
beautiful, broken, etc., add the information and qualities to the words they are modifying.

Examples:

1. Ndapassoa is a nice person

2. My wife is a beautiful woman

Quantitative
The adjectives that describe the quantity of something is known as quantitative adjectives.
Therefore, they answer the question of “how much?” or “how many?”. Numbers and other
general words like many, a lot and half are a few types of this adjective.

Examples:

1. In our class, we are 49 students

2. He ate a half of cake

Demonstrative
When the noun or pronoun a person is referring to is described by “which”, they are
demonstrative adjectives. Words that they modify come before, including words like this, these,
that and those.

Examples:

1. These mangos are rotting

2. I cannot give you money at this moment

Possessive
These types of adjectives show possession by describing to whom things or person belongs in a
sentence. Most commonly used possessive adjectives include his, her, their, our, your and my.
Some of them can be used before a noun, and some can’t.

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Examples:

1. My name is Ganito Saboroso Nhenje.

2. His brother lives in Gorongosa district.

Interrogative
The meaning of interrogative adjectives is they ask questions, followed by a noun or pronoun in
every sentence to form a question. The interrogative adjectives include wh-words like what,
which and whose.

Examples:

1. Whose book was that?

2. Which team scored between Mozambique and Benin?

Distributive
While describing specific members out of a group, one person can make use of distributive
adjectives. These adjectives may be perfect by singling out one or more individual items or
people from a group. Common distributive adjectives used in a sentence will include every, each,
neither, either and any.

Examples:

1. Every students received the Tablets from UCM

2. Any person can make a donation

3. The teacher gave each student a question about adjectives.

Forming Adjectives from Nouns

In the following, we can see the different methods to form adjectives from nouns, including the
suffixes, the inherent meaning of the suffix, the nouns and their transformation into adjectives.

6
 Nouns Adjectives

Norm Normal

Music Musical

Industry Industrial

Class Classical

Economy Economic/economical

Romance Romantic

Hero Heroic

Examples:

John loves going on adventures. John’s a very adventurous person.

You’re behaving like a child! Don’t be so childish!

The creature had a body like a worm. THe creature had a wormlike body.

The list seemed to have no end. The list seemed endless.

7
Section II: Adverbs

Adverbs are words that describe or modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Adverbs
express ideas of time, place, manner, cause, and degree. In another way, we can say that Adverbs
communicate where, when, why, how, how often, how much, or to what degree. They qualify the
actions we narrate, the descriptions we record, and the claims we make. Adverbs are as versatile
as they are mobile; they can often be moved within a sentence, within limits.

Examples:

1. The teacher had to speak loudly to be heard over the class. (Loudly modifies the verb
speak.)
2. The children were really bad during the movie. (Really modifies the adjective bad.)
3. Isac Abreu Sabado approached the wounded dog very slowly. (Very modifies the adverb
slowly.)
4. Clearly, Leonora did not understand the directions. (Clearly modifies the sentence.)
5. The box is still below the stairs. (Still modifies the phrase “below the stairs.”)

Types of adverbs

Adverbs of Time
An adverb of time answers the question When? Adverbs of time include: after, always, before,
during, early, later, never, now, often, rarely, recently, sometimes, soon, then, today, tomorrow,
usually, yesterday, etc.

Example: Ganito will attend the soccer game after he finishes his homework. (After answers the
question: When will Ganito attend the soccer game?)

Adverbs of Manner
According to the book English for Everyone, English Grammar Guide, page 274, it explains that
Adverbs of manner describe the way something is done. They usually come after the verb they
describe. An adverb of manner answers the question How? Most adverbs of manner are formed
by adding “-ly” to the adjective. If the adjective ends in “-y,” the “-y” is left out and “-ily” is
added to make the adverb. Adverbs of manner include: badly, beautifully, better, bravely,
cheerfully, fast, hard, quickly, slowly, inadequately, healthy, well, etc.
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Example: Nicha slowly walked over the rocky beach. (Slowly answers the question: How did
Nicha walk?)

Adverbs of Place
An adverb of place answers the question Where? Adverbs of place include: above, away, below,
down, here, inside, near, outside, there, up, etc.

Example: Vulande placed the boxes above the file cabinet. (Above answers the question: Where
did Vulande place the boxes?)

Adverbs of Degree
An adverb of degree answers the question How much? It describes the strength and intensity at
which something happens. Adverbs of degree include: almost, completely, enough, entirely,
extremely, hardly, just, little, much, nearly, quite, rather, very, too, etc.

Example: Ezequiel Mutonhojo walked very hard to arrive soon at the work place. (Very answers
the question: How hard did Ezequiel Mutonhojo walk?)

Adverbs of Frequency
An adverb of frequency answers the question How often? Adverbs of frequency include: always,
never, usually, frequently, occasionally, rarely, seldom, sometimes, etc.

Example: My financial Boss always forgets to check his keys before leave the job. (Before
answers the question: How often does the Financial Boss forget the keys?)

Interrogative Adverbs
An interrogative adverb introduces a question. Interrogative adverbs are usually placed at the
beginning of the sentence. Interrogative adverbs include: how, when, why, and where.

Example: When will Ganito’s train leave to Marromeu?

Conjunctive Adverbs
Conjunctive adverbs serve as transitional words, joining and relating independent clauses.
Conjunctive adverbs include: accordingly, also, alternatively, certainly, consequently, finally,
nevertheless, moreover, previously, therefore, etc.

Example: We plan to leave early in the morning; therefore, we will go to bed early.

9
Conclusion

In the present field work I was talking about the adjectives and adverbs, I concluded that
adjective is a word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.. Adjectives can be used to
describe the qualities of someone or something independently or in comparison to something
else. Depending on the language, an adjective can precede a corresponding noun on a Prepositive
basis.

A corresponding noun also follows the postpositive basis, I have explained also that there are
three degrees of adjectives include positive, comparative and superlative, the degrees of
comparison work for only descriptive adjectives. Adjectives are employed or reused to
characterize, quantify, change, or identify nouns/pronouns. Finally, Adjectives can be classified
into 7 categories: descriptive, quantitative, demonstrative, possessive, interrogative, distributive,
and articles.

About adverbs, they are words that describe or modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. There
are many types of adverbs, I can name most of them, there are: Adverbs of Time, Adverbs of
Manner, Adverbs of Place, Adverbs of Degree, Adverbs of Frequency, Interrogative Adverbs and
Conjunctive Adverbs.

10
References

HEATH, JEFFREY. 1984. Functional grammar of Nunggubuyu. Canberra: Australian Institute

of Aboriginal Studies

Klammer, Thomas, Muriel Schulz, and Angela Della Volpe. (2005). Analyzing English
Grammar. 5th ed. New York: Pearson Education. 81-84. Print.

Lunsford, Andrea. (2010). The Everyday Writer. 4th ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's. Print.

Murphy R and Smalzer, W (2002) Basic Grammar in Use 2nd edition United Kingdom:
Cambridge University Press

Merriam Webster. “Badly.” Merriam Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary. N.d.

Svenonius, P. 1992. “The Extended Projection of N: Identifying the Head of the Noun Phrase”.
Working Papers in Scandinavian Syntax 49: 95-121.

Svenonius, P. 2008. “The position of adjectives and other phrasal modifiers in the
decevomposition of DP”. In Adjectives and adverbs, L. McNally & C. Kennedy (eds), 16-42.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.

TOPPING, DONALD M. 1973. Chamorro reference grammar. Honolulu: University of Hawaii

Press.

TUCKER, A. N. and MPAAYEI, J. T. O. 1955. A Maasai grammar with vocabulary. London:

Longmans, Green.

UCM - FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION; - (2006) Ano Propedeutico

English Course English Department.

UCM - FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION; - (2006) First Year English

Course English Department

WELMERS, WILLIAM E. 1973. African language structures. Berkeley and Los Angeles:
University of California Press.

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